TORONTO COMMUNITY HOUSING 2018 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS … 5 20… · 2018 TCHC Strategic Communications Plan January 26, 2018 7 Clearly identify who speaks for TCHC in the media

TORONTO COMMUNITY HOUSING

2018 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

This plan describes how Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) will

inform, educate and engage its key audiences about how the company is

implementing its strategic priorities of quality homes, vibrant communities and

service excellence, and working to be more tenant-centric, responsive and

accountable.

Clear, consistent, timely and effective communications will support TCHC in

delivering the objectives and actions identified in its 2018 business plan. Those

objectives include:

Clean, well-maintained buildings

Tenants feel safe in their communities

Well-managed tenancies (with a focus on supporting vulnerable tenants)

Partnerships that build better neighbourhoods

Improved tenant engagement and communications

Improved employee engagement and accountability

Managing risk and using resources efficiently

SUMMARY

External (including TCHC tenants)

Using mainstream media, social media and direct communications, TCHC will

reach key external audiences, including tenants, with messages about how

TCHC is working to improve the safety and well-being of its tenants through

housing repairs, service improvements and partnerships that are expanding

tenant access to services, supports and opportunities. We will communicate

both on our own and with the City of Toronto and our many partners.

Item 4 - 2018 Strategic Communications Plan GCHRCC Public Meeting - February 5, 2018 Report:GCHRCC:2018-06 Attachment 1

DRAFT – TCHC 2018 Strategic Communications Plan

January 2018 2

We will implement a protocol to guide how Toronto Community Housing

communicates with tenants about matters that affect them. The protocol will set

clear standards for proactive communications that will apply across the

company, and provide staff with guidelines and tools that support clear, timely

and effective communications.

Internal

Using print, email, web-based and face-to-face channels, TCHC will inform and

engage its team members on the company’s strategic priorities and business

plan, and on its commitment to strengthening employee engagement and

manage the implementation of transformative changes within the organization. A

key focus will be in supporting middle managers and supervisors to engage in

effective two-way communications with their teams. We will also provide tools

and supports to help frontline staff to communicate effectively with tenants.

COMMUNICATIONS OBJECTIVES

Build public confidence and trust by improving perceptions of the

company, and countering negative perceptions, by telling stories about

how we are changing to be more tenant-centric, responsive and

accountable.

Build awareness of how TCHC is working to repair, renew and replace its

aging housing stock to improve living conditions and quality of life for its

tenants.

Inform and educate tenants on matters that affect their tenancies, their

safety and well-being, and their buildings/communities, leveraging

opportunities for two-way communications wherever possible.


DRAFT – TCHC 2018 Strategic Communications Plan

January 2018 3

Build understanding and engagement among staff and tenants about the

changes being made through the Tenants First project, leveraging


TARGET AUDIENCES

Internal

Board of Directors

Managers and employees

Union partners

Tenants

General tenant population

Tenant reps and councils

Tenant associations

Tenant leaders

Tenants affected by relocation

Youth, seniors, families

City of Toronto

Mayor, Deputy Mayors and Council

City Manager, Deputy City Managers

Shelter, Support and Housing Admin.

Affordable Housing Office

Tenants First project team

External

The public, through:

Mainstream media

Community and ethnic media

Trade publications

Social media

Opinion leaders

Elected officials

Partners

City of Toronto ABCs and partners

Housing sector partners

Not-for-profit sector partners

Private sector partners

Government partners

THEMES AND KEY MESAGES

Themes

Toronto Community Housing’s strategic communications in 2018 will focus on

these themes:

Providing tenants with clean, safe, affordable homes in good repair


2018 TCHC Strategic Communications Plan January 26, 2018

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Working to keep our buildings and communities safe

Connecting tenants to services, supports and opportunities through

partnerships

Supporting vulnerable tenants to have successful tenancies

Delivering better service by being more tenant-centric and responsive

Engaging tenants through timely and proactive communications

Managing change to engage and empower our employees

Key messages

Toronto Community Housing is entrusted with a significant responsibility: To

provide clean, safe, secure homes in good repair to more than 110,000 Toronto

residents, including some of our city’s most vulnerable citizens.

Nearly four per cent of Toronto’s population lives in our housing. We are an

essential part of the fabric of our city and its social system.

As a social housing provider, we have a duty to connect tenants to services and

supports so they can stay housed and enjoy a better quality of life.

Our 2018 budget will benefit tenants through record-level funding for capital

renewal that will ensure no more permanent closures of units, and strategic

investments to improve service delivery and access to services, enhance fire

safety in all our buildings and refresh our information technology to be more

responsive and efficient.

We will add more frontline staff in 2018 to improve cleaning and maintenance

services, reduce the time needed to prepare vacated units for new tenants, and

better connect tenants to services and supports.



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Our goal is to become a more tenant-centric, responsive organization, one the

entire city can be proud of.

See Appendix 1 for more on themes and messages.

STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

Strategy: Generate positive impressions of TCHC through proactive media

relations, social media, thought leadership and direct communications, with a

strong focus on joint communications with the City and with partners.

Tactics

Develop and execute proactive media relations with mainstream media to

build understanding of and support for TCHC. Use a full range of activities,

including news conferences, media events, targeted interviews, walkabout

tours with reporters, op-ed articles and long-lead features.

Broaden and enhance positive media coverage beyond the mainstream

media through proactive outreach to multicultural, community and trade

media.

Use targeted social media and direct communications (e.g., newsletters

and posters) to inform tenants about programs, services and opportunities

in their communities.

Continue to use digital platforms (website, e-newsletters) and social media

channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn) to engage

existing audiences and build new audiences.



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Identify and leverage opportunities for proactive joint communications with

City of Toronto, the Mayor and City Councillors, the federal and provincial

governments, existing and new partners, and housing stakeholders.

Create a communications calendar of opportunities/events to promote

effective planning, coordination and alignment of all TCHC external

communications.

Strategy: Mitigate reputational risk through disciplined issues management,

including timely responses to emerging issues and proactive strategies to “get in

front” of issues we can foresee.

Tactics

Manage issues by developing effective and timely responses in

collaboration with key stakeholders, including the City.

Keep the board informed on issues and TCHC’s response, as well as on

how we are engaging tenants, the City, stakeholders and partners.

Work with the CEO, the Board chair if appropriate, executive leaders and

affected internal stakeholders to respond to issue-based media requests in

a timely, effective way.

Maintain effective communications channels to keep the Mayor’s Office,

City Councillors, the City Manager and senior City executives informed

about issues and opportunities (“no surprises”).

Deliver effective communications during emergency responses and

service disruptions, guided by TCHC’s incident/crisis response plan.



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Clearly identify who speaks for TCHC in the media on specific issues.

Provide direction and support to team member on how they should

redirect media requests to Strategic Communications, and how they

should inform Strategic Communications on emerging media issues.

Strategy: Proactively plan and deliver communications that provide tenants with

useful, timely, and reliable information in plain language to support successful

tenancies, safe and healthy communities, and improved quality of life.

Tactics

Use print, electronic and face-to-face channels to inform tenants and

engage them in constructive dialogue about:

Progress and results through our building capital renewal plan

Tenant education campaign on fire safety and fire prevention

Tenant communication campaign on changes to the tenant

engagement system

Improvements to safety and security (e.g., digital cameras)

Milestones in our six active community revitalization projects

Energy retrofits to improve tenant comfort, and reduce utility costs

and greenhouse gas emissions

Services and supports for vulnerable tenants in the community

Improvements to service delivery and business processes

Changes in TCHC policies (e.g., transfer policy)

Community development programs

Active living and youth employment programs

The Tenant Charter / customer service standards



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Plan and deliver community meetings and town halls so that TCHC

leaders, managers and frontline staff can hear directly from tenants about

their issues and ideas.

Ensure tenant communications meet legislated standards for accessible

communications and TCHC’s standards for clear language and design.

Produce and mail a tenant newsletter with useful, helpful information for all

tenant households up to four times a year.

Create low-cost tools and processes (such as an opt-in email distribution

list) to improve direct communications with tenants using digital channels.

Continue to improve products and processes for service disruption and

repairs notices (e.g., 24-hour notice of entry) in collaboration with all

internal partners.

Continue to consult tenants on how best to communicate with them by

seeking advice and input through TCHC’s tenant engagement channels.

Continue to translate, on request, communications materials for tenants,

and build a database of predominant second languages in buildings so we

can consistently provide translated materials to these communities.

Strategy: Build a common understanding among all TCHC employees about

how their work helps TCHC to deliver its mission and priorities, leveraging




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Tactics

Keep staff informed in an open, timely, respectful manner, using a range

of channels: print, email, the intranet, and meetings led by the President

and CEO, executives and managers.

Equip managers and supervisors with the tools to communicate with staff,

and give staff the tools they need to communicate with tenants and

stakeholders (e.g., key messages, Q&A, “meeting in a box” planning kit).

Use face-to-face communications to promote staff engagement through

regular staff meetings at the work unit, divisional and company-wide level

(i.e., all staff meetings or videoconferences).

Showcase best practices, milestones and successes, and celebrate staff

accomplishments, in stories published in the biweekly staff email

newsletter (In the Know) and on the intranet (inHouse), and presented at

staff meetings.

METRICS

Number of positive media stories placed through proactive media relations.

Target is that the total number of targeted positive stories placed in print

publications and electronic media exceeds the number of negative stories in

the calendar year.

Social media metrics show positive trends in reach, engagement, number of

followers, etc.

Metrics for TCHC tenant and stakeholder newsletters shows increased

readership and engagement.



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Website metrics (opens, hits, click-throughs, strategic measurement of

specific pages and sections) show increased visits and engagement.

Tenant responses on communication effectiveness and tenant satisfaction

with communications in the 2018 Tenant Survey shows a 25 increase over

2017.

Analysis of all-staff communications channels such as the biweekly e-

newsletter (number, timeliness, volume/tone of feedback).

Analysis of inHouse stories (number, timeliness, volume/ tone of feedback

from polls, comments, employee postings).

VISUAL IDENTITY STANDARDS

Toronto Community Housing will maintain its existing brand identity and logo. A

key focus is to ensure all communications products meet standards of

accessibility, clear language and design, and usability. It is recommended,

however, that Toronto Community Housing refresh its brand strategies, visual

identity and logo standards in 2018 as part of the development of TCHC’s next

multi-year strategic plan.

Toronto Community Housing will set clear professional standards for business

communications (e.g., letters to tenants and stakeholders, email messages to

employees, and email signature blocks for employees). The standards will

promote, clear, respectful and open communications with tenants and

stakeholders. Strategic Communications will develop the standards in

collaboration with the President and CEO’s office.



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APPENDIX 1

2018 Strategic Communications Themes and Key Messages

THEME #1: Providing tenants with clean, safe, affordable homes in good

repair

Our homes are a $10-billion public asset, but most are over 50 years old.

We will deliver a $300-million building capital repair plan in 2018 to improve

living conditions, safety and quality of life for tenants.

We are making progress in improving our buildings, but more must be done.

We are encouraged that all levels of government recognize the importance

and value of investing in social hosing repairs.

THEME #2: Working to keep our buildings and communities safe

We work with Toronto Police Service, City partners and tenants to keep our

communities safe.

We are adding and upgrading digital cameras and hiring more special

constables in the community.

With Toronto Fire Services, we are accelerating our enhanced fire life safety

program in all our buildings.

THEME #3: Connecting tenants to services, supports and opportunities

through partnerships

Partnerships leverage our strengths to deliver better outcomes for tenants.

We create stable, healthy, vibrant communities through partnerships.

o We connect tenants to services, supports and opportunities in the

community.

o We help tenants access recreation programs, jobs, training and

learning opportunities.

o We build capacity though community economic development and

community programs.



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THEME 4: Supporting vulnerable tenants to have successful tenancies

We have a duty to treat all tenants fairly and with respect.

Our staff connect vulnerable tenants to the supports they need.

We want all tenancies to be successful tenancies.

THEME #5: Being more tenant-centric and responsive

We are updating our standards and operating procedures to improve service

delivery to tenants.

Our Tenant Charter, created with tenants, sets clear expectations and

accountabilities.

We will focus on making improvements in areas that drive tenant satisfaction,

such as building conditions.

THEME 6: Engaging tenants through timely and proactive communications

We will deliver timely, accessible and proactive communications with tenants.

Tenant awareness and education on fire safety is an important focus in 2018.

We will support team members to be better communicators with tenants.

Communications starts with listening. We want to hear from tenants about

what we can do better.

THEME #7: Managing change to engage and empower our employees

Having engaged employees is essential to our success at becoming more

tenant-centric and responsive.

We are committed to fostering high levels of employee engagement and a

stronger tenant-centric culture.

We are gathering input from our employees and will use what we learn to

develop an action plan for building a more positive work environment.

We will respond to Tenants First in a strategic manner that enables us to

continuously improve our operating and financial performance.


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TORONTO COMMUNITY HOUSING 2018 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS … 5 20… · 2018 TCHC Strategic Communications Plan January 26, 2018 7 Clearly identify who speaks for TCHC in the media